Distractions
by rubycaspar
Summary: Becker/Jess. Becker and Jess are trying to deal with the increasing romantic tension between them, and things aren't made any easier when a ferocious creature escapes the ARC with a taste for Jess' blood. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

Well this is my very first multi-chapter Primeval story – should be eight chapters long. Anyone who's followed me in other fandoms will tell you I'm notorious at updating WIPs, but I can assure you my obsession with this show and this pairing will mean this gets updated _very _quickly.

I don't who's been on the official Primeval site, but according to it Jess is supposed to be 19 years old. Now, I'll buy that, but I do think it needs a backstory which the show has failed to provide, so my personal canon is she was a girl-genius who went to university when she was 14. Just FYI. In case you were wondering, according to the site Becker is 26 (and Connor is 27 – WTF?).

I hope you enjoy the story!

_**Distractions**_

Jess was in the locker room putting something away when Becker walked in that morning. He smiled to himself and snuck up next to her. He reached round her and tapped her on the shoulder farthest from him – she looked around to see nothing behind her. She was letting out an exasperated sound even before she started turning the other way.

Becker smirked. "Morning."

"One day I'm _not _going to fall for it," she said.

Becker grinned. "I'll believe it when I see it," he said.

Jess grinned back and closed her locker. She turned to face him properly and raised an eyebrow. "Get caught in the rain?" She asked, noticing that he was wearing a mac and that it was soaked.

"It was just a shower," he said, unzipping it.

Jess nodded. "Do you have a busy day today?" She asked.

"I hope not," said Becker ruefully. "You?"

"Not really – there are some server glitches that need seeing to, but they shouldn't take too long," Jess said.

Becker shucked off his wet jacket and balled it up. He didn't want to put it in his locker with his dry clothes, so he reached over Jess to put it on top of the lockers... which brought him, all of a sudden, a lot closer to her. For a second all her could see were her eyes, wide and slightly startled. He heard her take a breath. His hand dropped the jacket on top of the lockers, but he didn't step back. He didn't even consider it. All he could concentrate on were the colour of her eyes – he'd never noticed there were so many shades of blue...

A noise in the hallway outside brought Becker to his senses and he quickly stepped back, turning to his locker and pretending nothing had happened. It had only been a couple of seconds – maybe Jess hadn't noticed anything.

"I'd better go get started," Jess said after a moment.

Becker judged that it was safe to look at her and give her a swift smile. "See you later."

Jess smiled back and hurried away, and as soon as she was out of the room Becker sighed and rested his forehead against the edge of his locker. Things like that were happening far too often for his liking. He needed to get a grip.

XXX

Jess walked quickly to the main control room, barely looking where she was going as she hurried through the corridors of the ARC. What had just happened? No, what had just _almost _happened? Becker had been standing there, so close, just staring at her, and if they hadn't heard that noise...

The thing was, Jess knew she wasn't the most subtle person in the world. She knew that Becker knew she liked him. He knew she knew. And everyone else knew. It was hardly a secret, and really, Jess didn't mind. But... recently, it had started to feel like maybe, well, like maybe he liked her too. Which was great – amazing – _unbelievable_ – but something she'd never prepared herself for. What on earth would someone like Captain Becker, an experienced soldier and possibly the best-looking guy she'd ever met, see in a silly, inexperienced _teenager _like herself. Usually the fact that Jess was so young didn't bother her; being younger than everyone around her was something she'd had to get used to since she'd gone to university when she was fourteen. But when she was around Becker, she felt even younger than she actually was.

So, if he did actually by some miracle like her, what should she do about it? Should she wait for him to make a move? She knew enough about Becker to know she'd have to wait an age. Should she make a move herself? The very thought filled her with fear. Flirting was one thing – actually trying to take things to a new level was something completely different. Maybe she should try the opposite – act a bit more aloof around him while she tried to figure it out.

Jess reached her beloved ADD without incident and sank gratefully into her seat. She felt so much more in control of herself when she was sitting in front of the super computer. It was something she could understand and direct, which was exactly what she needed right then. She started looking at those server glitches that she'd told Becker about, and was quickly immersed in her work.

It was about an hour later that an anomaly alert rang out. Jess quickly went into Field Co-ordinator mode, pulling up information screens and sending co-ordinates as the team ran into the room.

"Jess, what we got?" Matt asked, jogging over.

"Anomaly, looks quite unstable," Jess reported. "Five miles west of here – Potters' Power Station."

"Well at least there shouldn't be too many people around," Matt said. "Let's go."

He and the others started to file out – Jess looked up and saw that Becker was still standing by her desk. He shrugged. "So much for a quiet day," he said.

Jess nodded. "Be careful," she said seriously.

Becker smiled and gave her a mock salute. "Yes Ma'am," he said, before hurrying after the others.

Jess turned back to the ADD with a smile, and shook her head. How was she supposed to act aloof around him when he did adorable things like that?

It didn't take the team long to reach the power station, and as Matt had said, there weren't any people around, as the entire thing was run on automated systems, which was one less thing to worry about. The anomaly was unstable; they tried to lock it but couldn't get the machine to work properly, even when Connor tried some recalibrations. Connor's theory was that the massive power output around them was affecting the anomaly and the device to close it.

Luckily, the anomaly disappeared after about an hour. Unluckily, a creature had already got through, and that was only the start of their problems.

It was massive, like a mutant wolf. Abby had said something about it being an ancestor of the modern wolf, but all Jess knew was that the thing was so fast it she could barely track it on the CCTV cameras.

The team split up to try and track it down, and Jess did her best to help them, but whenever she caught a glimpse of the creature it was just that – a glimpse. It was like a blur moving across her screens, and she couldn't give the team any useful intel of where it was. And then, to make things even more fun, the electrical output of the station started to affect their radios. They couldn't hear each other, they couldn't hear her – it was a disaster.

Jess dispatched a containment unit, with walkie-talkies, to the power station, and watched with her heart in her throat as the team stalked through the corridors, cut off from each other. She couldn't help but watch Becker a little more than the others, even though he was probably the safest of all of them.

Jess had an idea and started to hack further into the power station's systems, trying to patch in to the building's tannoy system. At least then she'd be able to talk to the team.

Before she had managed it, though, Jess saw something that made her freeze with dread. Connor had moved into the main control room of the station, on the first floor, and a moment later Jess saw the creature follow him inside. The creature was between Connor and the door, and it was clearly stalking Connor.

Jess made a strangled sound in her throat and typed faster than before, desperately breaking through firewall after firewall. Connor, meanwhile, had noticed the creature. He spun around on the spot and shot it with his EMD. The creature stumbled backwards, shook itself, and started forward again. Connor shot it again. And again. The EMD didn't seem to be having much of an effect on the creature, and Connor was just backing himself into a corner, trying to put distance between himself and the advancing creature.

Finally, _finally_, the last firewall fell and Jess had access to the tannoy system. "Guy's it's Jess –" the other three all paused, looking up, so Jess knew they could hear her, "Connor's in the main control room with the creature. HURRY! His EMD isn't working properly."

They'd all started running before she'd finished speaking, and Matt and Becker – who were on the right floor, were at the door of the control room within ten seconds. Jess watched as the two of them and Connor all shot the creature with their EMDS at the same time – a moment later Abby arrived and joined in; under the combined fire power of the four EMDs the creature eventually passed out. Jess breathed out a sigh of relief and sank back in her chair.

After a moment, she pressed a few buttons and called Matt's mobile phone. He picked up after one ring.

"Jess – we need a unit here; looks like this one's coming back with us," he said.

"Already on the way," Jess said.

"Connor thinks the interference is affecting the EMDs too," he said.

"Tell her thanks," Jess heard Connor say – she could see on the CCTV that he had walked round the creature to stand next to Matt, trying to speak into the phone. "She's getting a _huge_ bunch of flowers."

Jess laughed. "Tell Connor I'd be happy with him putting down the toilet seat for once," she said. "Containment team will be right there."

"Okay, thanks," Matt said, shutting off his phone.

Jess smiled as the call ended, but her smile faded as she looked at Becker. He was looking up directly at the security camera, so it was as though he was looking straight at her. And the look he was giving her – well, it was intense, and unreadable, and made Jess' heart beat faster.

XXX

Becker stayed behind at the power station with the containment team to oversee the transportation of the creature; it was twitching, obviously not in a hugely deep sleep. It was one of the many reasons Becker disliked using EMDs – even when the creatures were down, it seemed like they were about to get right back up. And then of course there were times – like today – when the EMDs just _didn't work_.

Becker was furious with himself over what had happened today. He'd allowed himself to become complacent, too dependant on what the EMDs could do, and none of the team had had a gun with them that could work. Connor had almost been killed today because his EMD alone hadn't been enough to take the creature out. If Jess hadn't managed to hack into the tannoy, he would have... Becker didn't even want to think about it.

Becker drove back ahead of the containment team and headed straight to the locker room to divest himself of his gear. That done, he started to walk towards the control room to check in with Lester and to talk to Jess, but – speak of the devil – he spotted Jess coming out of one of the labs. He jogged over to catch her up.

"Hey," he said, falling into step beside her.

She looked a bit surprised to see him there so suddenly, but smiled. "Hi," she said. "Are you okay?"

Becker stopped walking and nodded. "Yeah – thanks to you."

Jess had stopped too, and just gave him a sheepish look. One of the botanists was trying to get past them in the corridor so Becker took hold of Jess' elbow and pulled her into the shadow of one of the doorways.

"You saved Connor's life," he told her seriously.

Jess blushed – actually blushed. "No – you, Matt and Abby did that," she said.

"Seriously, Jess," Becker said. He hadn't let go of her arm, and he squeezed it gently. "You did good today."

"Thanks," Jess said. Then she smiled – a huge, genuine smile that Becker couldn't help but return. They both stopped smiling after a moment but Becker, once again, found he couldn't quite find it in him to step away. He was staring at her again, and he knew he shouldn't be, knew he needed to back away from her, right now, before he...

Without knowing who had moved first, they were kissing. It was soft, and sweet, and it made Becker's head swim. His hand tightened on her arm and his other came to rest on her hip as he stepped closer to her – Jess' hands landed on his shoulders, and the kiss became firmer, more searching. Becker felt Jess sigh a little and her hand moved to cup the back of his neck. He was so close to losing himself in this completely, so close... but...

But there was a but. A big one. _What was he doing?_

Becker jerked back and grabbed hold of Jess' hands in his own. "Wait... Jess – I can't do this," he said.

Jess stared at him, wide-eyed for a moment, before snapping out of it and nodding. "No. Of course," she said. She pulled her hands from his and took a step back. "I know – I – sorry –"

Becker took a deep breath. "It's just –"

Jess nodded again, stumbling out of the doorway. "Of course, don't even –" she stammered, not even looking at him. "I'll see you later."

Becker took a step after her. "Jess!"

She didn't look back as she fled down the corridor, but Becker had seen the look of complete mortification on her face before she'd turned away. He leant back against the wall and dropped his head back.

"Damn it."

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the great feedback on the first chapter – I'm so glad you guys seem to be enjoying it thus far. Before I carry on with this chapter, I want to make it clear that I don't have any expertise regarding computers, or prehistoric wolves. So bear with me on both.

Please let me know what you think!

**Chapter Two**

Jess hurried through the corridors of the ARC, barely watching where she was going.

_Oh my god oh my god oh my god. _

One of the lab technicians had to jump out of her way as she rounded a corner, and she didn't even notice.

_Oh my god oh my god oh my god._

She stumbled through the doorway to the main control room, made it to the ADD and sank down into her chair.

_Oh my god oh my god oh my god_.

Kiss. Her. She. Becker. Him. He – she had just kissed Becker. And he had _freaked out_.

"Oh my god," she groaned, covering her face with her hands.

Oh god, _why had she done that_? What had she been _thinking_? She hadn't – that was the problem. She hadn't been thinking; he'd been standing there, all _looming_, and staring at her, just like he had earlier, and then... they'd kissed.

Wait a minute. That's right – _they_'d kissed. It definitely hadn't been one-sided; far from it in fact. Jess wasn't sure who'd moved first but that kiss had been both of them, from the very beginning. It wasn't like she'd _thrown _herself at him or anything.

To be honest, though, it only made Jess feel marginally better. The point was that he'd pushed her away. He'd _pushed her away_. That answered her 'how does Becker feel about me?' question pretty succinctly – he didn't have feelings for her. He'd been caught in the moment for a few seconds and then come to his senses; realised that it was _her _he was kissing. God only knew what he must think of her – probably as a silly little girl with an obsessive crush.

How was she ever going to face him again?

"Jess?"

Jess jumped, gasping – she hadn't realised anyone had walked up to her. She looked up to find Abby standing beside her, looking surprised at her reaction. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yep, fine – I was just...er..." Jess swallowed. "Did you need something?"

"No," said Abby. She frowned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, honest," Jess said, giving Abby what she hoped was a convincing smile. "What you doing here?"

"We're about to debrief Lester," Abby said, leaning back against the desk.

Jess' eyes widened. Debrief. As in... the team. As in... Jess heard heavy footsteps heading towards the door and without thinking about what she was doing ducked under the desk.

Abby stood up straight. "Jess?"

The footsteps rounded the doorway and Jess immediately identified Connor from his trainers. She closed her eyes, completely embarrassed by her lack of courage. The thing was that she was just so completely overwhelmed by what had just happened that instinct had taken over. She just couldn't face Becker. Not right now.

Connor stopped next to Abby. "Why is Jess under the desk?" He asked her.

"Pass," said Abby.

Jess frantically cast around for a reason, and her eyes alighted on the auxiliary server in front of her. Perfect.

"I'm going to take apart the auxiliary server," she called out to Connor and Abby, trying to sound casual. "There's some glitches I want to sort out."

Connor's face appeared as he bent down. "Need a hand?" He asked.

"No, I'll be alright," Jess said. "But could you pass me my tools from the drawer?"

A moment later, Connor handed Jess her tools and she started to unscrew the side panel of the auxiliary server. That done, she turned it off and started using pliers to prise away the motherboard. Connor and Abby were still standing by the desk, bent over to watch her, but Jess was quickly absorbed in what she was doing and paid them no attention. Jess loved the intricacies of computers, and had always been able to lose herself in them. She'd built her first computer when she was seven.

She switched the pliers to her left hand and reached her right inside, past the mother board, to try to pull out some of the wiring.

"What are we looking at?"

Jess jumped at the sound of Becker's voice, banging the top of her head against the underside of the desk. That wasn't the problem – as she jumped her hand had jerked back, and the pliers she held in her left had sliced through her right palm.

"Arrgh!" She cried out, dropping the pliers and snatching her hand to her chest.

"Jess!" Abby was kneeling down next to her in a flash. "Are you okay?"

Jess winced and looked down at her hand- there was a jagged, relatively deep cut on her palm, and it was bleeding pretty badly.

"Yeah," she told Abby. "That was stupid."

Abby helped her out from under the table, blood starting to drip onto the floor, and Jess stood up straight, wincing again.

Connor whipped a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Jess. "Here," he said. "I promise it's clean."

She offered him a weak smile. "Thanks," she said. She wrapped it around her hand. The white of the handkerchief immediately started to turn red.

Becker stepped forward then, reaching out for her hand. "Let me look –"

Jess snatched her hand away before he could touch her. "It's fine," she mumbled, refusing to look at him. "It's just a cut. I'll just get a bandage from the first aid kit."

"Jess –"

Jess had never actually been relieved to hear the ARC alarms go off before, but she was _ecstatic _to hear them then. Becker had been reaching for her again, and she was _this close _to losing it. She'd been rejected and injured in the space of ten minutes – couldn't he just _leave her alone_?

Jess turned back to the ADD, but it was all quiet – the alarm was an internal one, nothing to do anomalies. Becker strode over to the emergency phone that was hanging on the opposite wall and snatched up the receiver. Jess sucked it up and actually watched him – she needed to know what was going on, after all.

"This is Becker, what's going on?" He demanded. His eyes widened as whomever he was speaking to answered him "_What_?" He listened a moment more. "Get some guns up here _right now_." He slammed down the phone and turned to Jess and the others.

"The creature woke up before they could get it into containment," he told them. "The EMDs were useless on it and it got away – it's running loose in the ARC."

Jess' jaw dropped. That wolf thing, loose in the ARC? And the EMDs... so it hadn't been the power station interfering with the weapons – the weapons didn't work on the creature.

"What do we do?" Jess asked, forgetting everything else in the face of the danger they were all in.

Becker stared at her for a moment before answering. "Get in Lester's office," he said. "We're sitting ducks out here – we're unarmed and –" He broke off abruptly as a terrible sound filled the air – the unmistakable growl of an angry creature on the prowl.

The creature appeared at the top of the steps next to Lester's office – the ADD was between Jess, Connor and Abby and the door at the other side of the room. Connor grabbed Jess' elbow and pulled her with him as he and Abby started to edge their way in front of the desk. The creature's growls increased, and it padded down the steps, snarling at them. Jess saw Becker start to make his way over to them, and could see what he was doing straight away – he was putting himself between the creature and them. She swallowed hard.

The creature shifted its focus onto Becker, and started to pace alongside the wall, snarling at him. Jess, Connor and Abby stopped moving – with the creature where it was, there was no way they'd be able to get to the door before it did. They were near the corner of the room, between the ADD and the long table that ran down the side of it. Becker paced round in front of the table, drawing the creature after him, trying to give the three of them a clear run to the door – Jess knew it was only a matter of time before it attacked him.

The creature was nearer to the ADD now, and its snarling increased. It sniffed the air and pawed the ground furiously, shaking its head, and then its back legs coiled as if about to spring.

Jess let out a whimper, and before she knew it she was being pushed back against the wall by Connor. She screamed as she saw why – the creature did leap, but it didn't go for Becker – it went for _her_. Connor had fallen to the ground pushing Jess back, and she landed hard against the concrete wall, crying out in pain. The creature had leapt up onto the table, and Jess looked up, unable to move, as it snarled at her before leaping again.

"JESS!" It sounded like Becker yelling her name, and Jess realised as she shut her eyes tight that it would be the very last thing she'd ever hear.

The next moment she heard the creature let out a yelp and opened her eyes to see that Becker had used one of the metal stools in front of the table to hit the creature as it'd leapt towards her – it skidded under the ADD desk but was back on its feet in a split second, snarling and baring its massive teeth. It turned its head to Jess again.

At that moment Matt came sprinting in through the door, carrying one of the heavy-duty EMDs. He wasted no time in shooting the creature – it took two blasts, but the creature collapsed.

There was a moment's silence as they all just stared at the unconscious creature. Then Jess let out a gasp, followed by several more deep breaths, and dropped her head back against the wall. "Oh my god," she whispered.

Jess felt a hand on her shoulder. "Jess? Jess are you alright?"

It was Becker. Jess' eyes flew open and she found him crouching down next to her, leaning over her, so close again – she scrambled away, bashing her bad hand against the wall in her hurry to stand up. She was a little bit ashamed of herself that she was actually thinking about such childish things after what had just happened, but she couldn't deal with it right now – she couldn't have him all worried and guilty and _close_.

"I'm fine – I'm fine," Jess said as she got to her feet. She stumbled a bit and Connor grabbed hold of her arm to steady her – Jess leant on him, more as an excuse to turn away from Becker than from any need to. She rolled her shoulders – she'd hit them against the wall.

"Sorry – you hit the wall pretty hard," Connor said.

Jess shook her head. "It's okay," she said. She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks."

Connor grinned.

Several soldiers ran into the room and Becker stepped forward. "Get that thing out of here and into containment right now!"

Lester walked in at that moment. "You heard him," he snapped at the soldiers. He strode over to the group and took in what had happened at a glance.

"Jess, are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine," she said, nodding.

"You'd better get to the medical wing," Lester said.

Jess shook her head. "No need, honestly," she said. "It didn't hurt me – I cut my hand but I just need to wrap it up."

Lester nodded. "Well, you go home and do that," he said.

Jess sighed. "I'm _fine_," she insisted.

Lester gave her an unimpressed look. "It's home or the medical wing," he said flatly.

Jess glared at him for a moment, but she couldn't keep it up; she knew that this was Lester's brusque way of dealing with the fact that one of his people had almost been hurt.

She sighed again. "Okay, I'll go home," she said. "But I'm coming in early tomorrow."

Lester raised an eyebrow. "I'd expect nothing less," he said. He turned on his heel and headed towards his office. Matt gave Jess a small smile before following him.

Jess looked at Connor and Abby, still consciously not looking at Becker. She gave them a rueful smile. "I guess I'll see you guys at home, then," she said.

"We'll bring in dinner," Abby said. "Just take it easy, yeah?"

Jess rolled her eyes. "I really am okay," she said.

Connor nodded. "We know," he said. "And yet you still get the rest of the day off – Lester's pet."

Jess grinned, but it faded as she felt Becker's hand on her shoulder again. "Can I –"

Jess jumped, and Becker quickly snatched his hand away. Their eyes met and Jess saw a flash of hurt in his eyes – she was surprised at how annoyed it made her. _He _was hurt? How did he expect her act after what happened earlier?

Jess' eyes narrowed and she looked at him properly for the first time since their interlude. Becker's eyes widened as she glared at him, and she saw him swallow. "Let me take you home," he said after a moment.

"I've got my car," she said. She turned back to Connor and Abby. "I'll see you guys at home." And with that she stepped around them and walked out of the control room without a backwards glance.

She could feel Becker's eyes on her the entire time.

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again for the reviews! This chapter's quite short I'm afraid, but it felt right to end it here. I'm hoping to update again tomorrow but I'm out in the evening and at work all day. I'll try though!

**Chapter Three**

Becker saw the creature onto a trolley and into the care of four of his men – all armed with proper guns this time. He looked around the control room – chairs were overturned, tools and bits of computer were scattered under the ADD desk, and Jess' blood was all over the floor. Tiny droplets of it made a trail out of the door and into the corridor. Before he could talk himself out of it, Becker hurried out of the control room and towards the locker room. Jess was gone already, but Becker grabbed his car keys and ran out to the car park. Jess was still there, winding her way to her car.

"Jess!" He called after her, starting to jog after her.

Jess obviously heard him, because he saw her freeze when he called her name, but she didn't stop – if anything she started to walk faster. Becker narrowed his eyes and ran. They were having this out _right now_.

"Jess, wait up," he said as he reached her. "Stop."

She turned to face him, and the look on her face told Becker that she _didn't _appreciate his persistence. He didn't care though, they needed to talk. But looking at her, Becker suddenly found that he didn't know what to say. Or rather, how to say it. He wasn't used to Jess looking at him like that, like she wasn't happy to see him, and he didn't like it.

As luck would have it they'd stopped right next to the passenger side of his car. "Let me drive you home," Becker said after a moment.

Jess half-rolled her eyes. "I told you, I've got my car," she said.

Becker unlocked his car and reached for the passenger door handle. "You shouldn't be driving with your hand like that," he said, starting to pull open the door.

"I'm fine!" Jess exclaimed. She reached out and slammed the door shut before he could open it any further, but she used her bad hand. "Arr... damn it!" She hissed. She grabbed a paper towel from her coat pocket and pressed it to her palm, which was bleeding again.

Becker stepped forward. "Let me –"

Jess jumped away from him, shaking her head. He was shocked to notice that there were tears in her eyes. "Becker... please just leave me alone," she said quietly.

Becker swallowed. "Jess..."

She shook her head and looked him square in the eye. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She said, her voice falsely bright. "Just – tomorrow." And she turned and hurried away.

Becker let her go. He hadn't realised up until that moment how much he'd hurt her earlier. He'd figured she was embarrassed but that look she'd just given him... he'd felt it like a punch to the gut. He'd never meant to hurt Jess – god, it was the last thing he wanted to do. But he _couldn't_... if he could only explain. However, she clearly needed some space. Which he could give her... for now.

He watched Jess get into her car and drive away, and then sighed and headed back into the ARC.

The first person he saw when he walked in was Matt, and for the first time in a long time Becker felt some of his old resentment for the man boil up. He strode up to him.

"Jess and Connor were almost killed today because nobody was properly armed," he said.

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Hello to you, too," he said.

"The EMDs don't work," Becker said in a clipped tone.

"Clearly they do," Matt said. "It's just they don't work that well on this particular creature."

"That's not a risk I'm willing to take," Becker said. "From now on everyone on the team carries a gun. A proper one."

"Becker –"

"I'm not backing down on this," Becker said, folding his arms and glaring at Matt. Matt glared back.

"I'll take that under advisement," he said cagily.

Before Becker could reply, the ARC alarms suddenly went off again. Becker scowled at Matt. "You'd better," he growled, before taking off for the control room.

XXX

"How did this happen?" Lester demanded twenty minutes later, as they all stared at the ADD screens. Connor was sitting in what was usually Jess' chair, pulling up CCTV feed after CCTV feed of the area surrounding the ARC.

"The EMDs don't work on this creature," Becker said through gritted teeth. "It woke up suddenly and overpowered two of my men – the other two tried to shoot it but it's incredibly fast."

"I'm amazed it didn't attack them," Abby said, shaking her head.

"And it jumped through a window and disappeared?" Lester asked.

"Yeah, the one by the lockers," Abby said.

"We were bearing down on it and it jumped through," Matt said. "By the time we got to the window it had gone."

There was a moment's silence as they all stared at the CCTV. Becker had already sent most of his men out to search the perimeter, but he needed to be out there too. He already had a machine gun in his hand, and he intended to use it – this creature was too dangerous to be at large.

"Any idea where we should look first?" He asked Abby now. "What will it head for?"

Abby frowned. "I don't know..."

"What do you know about it?" Becker prompted.

Abby bit her lip. "They're trackers," she said. "They usually hunt in packs. They... they don't stop until they get the kill."

Lester let out an exasperated sigh. "I want you all out there looking," he said. "I'm calling Jess back in."

Abby suddenly gasped. "Oh my god."

"What?" Becker demanded.

Abby blinked at him. "Jess," she said fearfully.

Becker did not like hearing her name spoken like that. He took a step towards Abby. "What about Jess?" He asked.

"She was bleeding, her blood was on the floor," Abby said. "That's why it went for her. That's why it went to the locker room. It was following her scent. It's after Jess."

For a moment Becker felt like he couldn't breathe. Then he span round to face Lester. "I'm taking a unit to her flat," he said. He turned back to Matt, Abby and Connor. "You three find the damn thing before it gets there." He started to head for the door, reaching for his radio as he went.

"And take actual guns with you," he threw over his shoulder.

"Becker!"

Becker turned round and instinctively caught whatever it was Connor had thrown at him. It was his keys to Jess' flat.

He nodded to Connor and ran out of the room.

_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks once more for the reviews – sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday. Real life is set to intervene again and so I probably won't have the next chapter up until Saturday. Let me tell you, though, that this is uncannily fast updating for me. Seriously.

I really do appreciate all the feedback, and I try to respond to as many as I can – apologies if I miss a few. I hope you enjoy this new part; the POV changes halfway through without any break in the story, though I'm sure you're all canny enough to not let that throw you.

**Chapter Four**

Jess stood in her shower, the water pounding on her bruised shoulders and steam swirling around her. She had got straight in the shower as soon she'd gotten home, wanting to just wash the events of the day off of her. She was being careful to keep her injured hand out of the main jet of water – once she was finished she'd bandage it up properly, though it wasn't bleeding as much now.

She wondered how long it would take to heal. It was silly, but she felt like she wouldn't be able to forget today until it healed. And boy, did she ever want to forget today.

Part of Jess was still annoyed that Lester had ordered her home like she couldn't handle the job when it got a bit rough – even though she _knew _that's not why he'd done it – but mostly she'd been kind of glad to have the excuse to leave the ARC early. She felt like such a coward and she hated herself for it, but she just did not feel ready to handle being around Becker. She couldn't just pretend nothing had happened, not yet.

It was clear, though, that that was exactly what _he_ wanted to do. She remembered the look on his face, in the car park, when she'd told him to leave her alone. He'd looked so... hurt. And it had made Jess feel bad... and then that made her angry. Why should she be made to feel bad about needing a bit of space? She cared about Becker, and she _really _didn't want to lose him as a friend, but she couldn't just flip a switch and act as if everything was normal. Maybe to him it was – he had faced his... whatever it was that he had for her... and he'd beaten it. He was all good. _She_ on the other hand, he'd rejected her, _pushed her away_ – he was well within his rights to do that, but it now meant that she had to live with it. And that wasn't so easy.

So, she really just needed to get her head straight. At least now she knew – she knew that Becker didn't feel that way about her, that he just saw her as a friend. Fine. She could be his friend... eventually. She just needed to get over him. It wouldn't take too long, right?

Jess shook her head and decided it was time to get out of the shower – she been in there for at least twenty minutes. She turned off the water and stepped out of the cubicle. Her clothes were all in her room, so after she dried off she wrapped a towel around herself and walked out of the bathroom.

And almost walked straight into Becker.

Jess let out a strangled gasp and stumbled backwards, falling against the bathroom doorframe. Becker took a step forward towards her. "Jess! Thank god – I've been trying to call you," he said, his voice low and urgent.

Jess was just gaping at him, her mind racing. He was here, in her flat. He just couldn't leave it alone, and now she was here, _in a towel_, having to deal with him again.

"Calling me?" She said after a moment. "_What are you doing here_?" She demanded.

A movement behind Becker caught her eye and she looked to see three of his men in her living room. They were all in full tactical gear and carrying machine guns. Jess looked back at Becker and for the first time noticed that he was dressed the same way.

Maybe this wasn't what she thought it was. "What's going on?" She asked.

"The creature escaped the ARC," Becker said.

Jess' eyes widened. "_What!_"

"Abby thinks it's tracking you."

Jess swallowed. "Tracking me?"

Becker nodded. "Your blood was on the floor, so it's got your scent," he said. "After it escaped, it followed it to your locker, and then out into the car park. It's disappeared."

Jess closed her eyes. _Oh god_.

"Abby says it won't stop until it finds you."

Jess looked up at Becker. "What does that mean?" She asked.

Becker took another step closer, looming over her. "It means I'm not leaving your side until the thing is dead," he said.

Jess swallowed again, a little startled at the intensity in his eyes. Her arms tightened around herself, gripping her towel tighter, and Becker glanced down, seeming to notice for the first time what she was actually wearing. He took a couple of steps back from her, looking a bit awkward, and Jess sighed. Of _course _he was going to stick to her like glue if that creature really was after her... and there wasn't really anything she could say to make it less embarrassing for either of them.

"Fine," she said. She took a deep breath and started to walk past Becker. She glanced at the other soldiers – they were all peering out of the windows and not paying her any attention, for which she was grateful. She was almost at her bedroom door when she realised that Becker was right behind her. She turned to face him on the threshold.

"Er... I'm just going to get dressed," she said.

Becker nodded. "I guessed," he said. "Don't worry, I won't look."

Jess gaped at him. "You've got to be joking!" She said.

Becker gave her a hard look. "I'm serious Jess," he said. "I'm not leaving your side."

Jess rolled her eyes. "It's not going to come in through my bedroom window!" She exclaimed.

Becker raised an eyebrow. "It escaped the ARC by jumping through a window," he said.

Jess swallowed, staring at him, and for the first time since Becker had told her what was happening she actually felt scared.

"Did anyone get hurt?" She asked him. "At the ARC?"

"Not seriously," said Becker. He stared at her. "I'm not going to let it hurt you."

Jess nodded. "I know," she said. She turned around and walked into her bedroom, Becker following. He closed the door, and the click seemed to resound around the room. Jess tried not to tremble too noticeably as she made her way over to her wardrobe. She couldn't deny that she'd imagined having Becker in her bedroom before... it was just that, in her imagination, the circumstances were very different.

Becker moved over to the other side of the room, to the window. Jess glanced at him – he was staring out through the blinds, his shoulders tense. Jess pulled open her wardrobe doors and tried to use them for cover as she started changing – she believed him when he said he wouldn't look, but still... this was just about the most embarrassing moment of her life.

"Jess," Becker said suddenly, making Jess jump. She peeked around the wardrobe door – he was still staring out of the window.

"Make sure you put on something you can run in easily," he said. "Just in case."

Jess nodded. "Right," she said weakly, reaching for her one and only pair of jeans. She slipped them on and followed them with a pink v-neck t-shirt. She closed her wardrobe and leant against the doors for a moment, staring at Becker's back and taking a moment to compose herself.

So, to sum up, the guy she liked beyond all belief was standing in her bedroom, ready to protect her against a vicious prehistoric wolf creature which was after her blood, and said guy had earlier kissed her and then rejected her, humiliating her entirely and making spending any time with him almost unbearable.

Brilliant.

Jess sighed. Such was her life. "Okay," she said, "you can turn around."

Becker didn't turn around right away. He took one last look out of the window, scrutinising the street below – it was all clear. It'd better stay that way – he didn't want that thing anywhere near Jess. Hopefully the others would call in a second to tell him they'd caught it. Yeah – he should be so lucky.

He was so angry right now. Not only was that creature out and loose and likely to hurt someone, but it was after _Jess_ of all people. And it all could have been prevented if they'd just had proper guns with them. So now he had no choice but to shadow Jess until the matter was resolved, and he knew that she was uncomfortable with it. She'd asked him to give her some space, and he couldn't.

If truth be told he'd kind of like some space himself. That kiss earlier had set him on edge, got to him in a way he hadn't felt for a long time. It had been so difficult to pull away, and he knew it was going to be a struggle not to be drawn in again in the future. But he could do it, he could manage his feelings and stay her friend if she would let him – but standing in her bedroom listening to the sounds of her change her clothes behind him was really not helping.

With one last look at the street outside, he turned to face Jess. She was standing next to her dresser, not looking at him, fiddling with something on top of it. She'd changed into jeans and a pink shirt, and it was the most sensible outfit he'd ever seen her wear... and also the most form-fitting. Yes, okay, he saw much more of her legs when she was decked out in her usual clothes, but those jeans clung to every single curve of her body. Becker swallowed and shook his head slightly, telling himself to get a grip.

Jess picked up her mobile phone from on top of the dresser, and looked at the screen. Her eyebrows shot up. "Seventeen missed calls," she said.

"About ten of those are from me," said Becker, walking over to her.

Jess gave him a look. "Sorry, next time I have a shower I'll be sure to take my phone in with me," she said. She held his gaze for a moment before looking away again, tucking her still-wet hair behind her ear. Becker noticed that her hair was slightly curly, and he wondered fleetingly if she usually straightened her hair.

He shook himself and reached into a pocket of his vest. "Here," he said, holding out an earpiece to Jess. "Thought you might want this."

Jess gave him a small smile and took it from him, and put it into her ear. She rocked on her heels a bit. "So... what now?"

"We lay low here, and wait to hear from the others," Becker told her. "I doubt the creature will be able to track you this far, and the entire ARC is out looking for it."

Jess nodded. There was a moment's silence, in which the two of them stood there, awkwardly avoiding each other's eyes. Becker cleared his throat. "How's your hand?" He asked eventually.

"Oh – it's okay," Jess said, holding it to her chest. "It's a bit sore, but it's not bleeding anymore."

Becker hesitated, and then held out his own hand. "Can I have a look?" He asked.

Jess met his eyes, and he could see how reluctant she was, but after a moment she nodded and held out her hand to him. Becker took it, gently, and looked. Then he frowned and looked closer. The cut was in the middle of her palm, jagged and deep, and the skin around it was an angry red.

"Jess, this is pretty bad," he said, looking up at her. "I think you need stitches."

Jess rolled her eyes. "I don't need stitches," she said. "I just need to bandage it up properly – I was going to do it now."

Becker looked back at the dresser, and saw an open first aid kit on top of it. He thought about arguing, insisting she see a doctor, but decided not to push it. She was obviously uncomfortable already; he didn't want to annoy her as well. So, he picked up an antiseptic spray from the kit and turned back to Jess. He glanced at her once more before spraying it on her hand. She winced and hissed slightly, but didn't do anything else.

Becker let go of her hand and put the spray back in the kit. He picked up a square dressing and turned back to her. Their eyes met and she looked away quickly. Becker decided that he couldn't let it go on any longer.

"Jess, about earlier –" He began, but Jess cut him off.

"Please let's not do this now," she said, a hint of desperation in her voice.

Becker gave her a hard look. "I think we have to," he said. Jess closed her eyes briefly but nodded. She looked down at the floor, but didn't move away.

Becker took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry about... what happened," he said, "but I can't get involved with someone from work." Jess looked back up at him, her eyes wide, and Becker sighed. "I can't get involved with anyone."

Jess frowned a little. "Why?" She asked.

Becker looked her straight in the eye. "My job is too important – it's too dangerous," he said. "I can't afford to have any distractions." Jess was still frowning, and Becker stared at her, willing her to understand.

"I made some rules for myself," he said, "and one of them is... no relationships. No romantic entanglements... or anything."

Jess opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but she closed it again and shook her head, still frowning. She looked away for a moment and then looked back at him.

"Becker..." she said. "That's... _insane_."

Becker sighed and shook his head. "Jess –"

"_Becker? You there?" _

It was Matt's voice, coming in over the radio. Becker put a hand to his earpiece.

"Yeah, I'm here with Jess," he said, looking at her. She gave him a sardonic look before turning away.

"Any luck?" She asked Matt.

"_We tracked it but damn it's fast – it went back to the ARC car park but it took off again. We're on its tail and Connor's back at the ARC tracking it through CCTV – it seems to be heading straight for you." _

Becker and Jess stared at each other in shock. "Are you sure?" Becker asked Matt.

"_It's taking side streets – it went left onto Lincoln and then right down Freeman, and the last we saw it, it was on Turner." _

Becker frowned. "That's the exact route I took to get here," he said. His eyes widened and he gaped at Jess. Their meeting in the car park earlier came rushing back to him suddenly. "Oh god – your blood was on my car," he said to her. "I've led it straight here!"

Matt swore.

"_Get out of there. Becker, I've never seen anything like this thing – it's so fast. You don't have a chance of taking it down unless it's out in the open, and has nowhere to hide. Get out now!"_

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for leaving you hanging for a few days guys... I've been busy! Two chapters left after this, and I'll hopefully get them up very soon.

What did you all think of the finale? I'll be putting up a missing moments story soon – there was just so much potential for fanfic there!

**Chapter Five**

"Right, we're out of here," Becker said. He grabbed hold of Jess' elbow and started to pull her towards her bedroom door.

Jess gasped. "Becker!" She exclaimed. "I don't even have any shoes on!"

Becker let go of Jess' arm and turned to face her again. "Be quick," he said through gritted teeth. He wrenched open her bedroom door and started barking orders to his men. Jess stood frozen for a moment before snapping out of it and hurrying back to her wardrobe. She flung it open and dropped to her knees, digging through the heels at the bottom to the back of the wardrobe to find her trainers. She sat back to shove them on her feet – she didn't think Becker would appreciate her stopping to find socks first.

The thought of the creature heading straight for them was scary enough, but Becker's reaction had Jess just as nervous. She didn't like seeing him so edgy.

"Jess?" Becker said shortly from near the door.

Jess pushed herself to her feet, stupidly using her injured hand without thinking. She hissed under her breath and ignored the pain, hurrying over to join Becker. He turned to face her, looking harried.

"Right, we're going out the fire escape and straight to your car – it didn't follow you here so it's clean," he said. "Where are your keys?"

They were on her dresser – Jess started to reach for them but Becker beat her to it, snatching them up and pocketing them. Jess considered protesting, but she didn't think 'but I want to drive' would go down very well with Becker right now.

He gave her a piercing look. "You stay behind me Jess, got it?" He said sternly. Jess nodded and followed him into the living room.

The soldiers had already got the fire escape open and two of them moved outside on Becker's signal. Jess stayed close behind Becker and they stepped out onto the fire escape. The third soldier followed out after Jess, so she was surrounded by guns.

Negotiating her way down the fire escape was not fun for Jess. She didn't really like ladders at the best of times, and this one was grimy and swayed a bit as she climbed down, and she could feel Becker's eyes on her the entire way, impatient because she took it so much slower than he did. It also wasn't the easiest thing to do with a gash on her palm. She had to avoid putting to much pressure on the wound, because it hurt like hell. She hid her winces of pain from Becker, though, not wanting him to think she was being a baby. She wished they'd had time to bandage it up – it had been forgotten when Matt had radioed them.

Finally she reached the bottom of the ladder, and Becker motioned for her to follow him. Her little red VW Beetle was parked a little ways down the road, and she and Becker hurried over to it. Becker unlocked the car as soon as they were in range and led her to the passenger side door. They had just reached the car when an unmistakable rumbling sound filled the air.

The creature had found them. And it was growling.

Becker raised his gun immediately, his shoulders tense. "Jess, get in and start the car," he said, pressing the key into her hand.

Jess fumbled for the door handle and managed to get the door open just as the creature burst through a bush a few metres away from the car, landing on the pavement with a snarl.

Jess cried out and threw herself into the car as Becker and the three other soldiers opened fire. She slammed the door shut behind her and looked round – she could just see the creature out of the back window; it leapt back through the bushes away from the gun fire. Matt was right – it was fast.

Jess leant across the driver's seat and put the key in the ignition – it took her several tries because her hand was trembling so hard. She got the key in and turned it – the engine came to life. Jess watched Becker walk round the car, his gun up and ready, and she half expected him to start shooting at the bushes that the creature had jumped behind, but instead – much to her relief – he jumped in the car.

Becker wasted no time in pulling the car out of its parking space and putting space between them and the creature. Jess turned around to look back down the street – the three soldiers were all on the pavement, creating a perimeter and moving in on where the creature had been.

She swallowed and turned around. "I can't believe it tracked us all the way here," she said faintly.

"It's okay," Becker said, taking a left turn a little harder than necessary. "It's okay, they'll get it."

Jess nodded, wanting to believe him. "Yeah." Silence descended on the car as Becker raced them through side streets. Jess wasn't sure what he was heading for, and decided not to ask. Now that they were no longer in immediate danger, it just felt awkward to be alone with him again. What they had been talking about five short minutes before flashed through Jess' mind, and she suddenly remembered what he had said.

Her eyes narrowed. Now was as good a time as any.

"So, you're insane," she said.

Becker glanced at her. "What?"

"What you said back there, about your rules," Jess said. "It's completely crazy."

Becker let out a disbelieving laugh. "Jess, this is not the time or place..."

"Oh no it's perfect – because you have to listen," Jess said flatly. Becker gave her a startled look before turning his attention back to the road. Jess took a deep breath. "You're talking about cutting off all ties with other people..."

"No I'm not!" Becker exclaimed. "I just can't be distracted by romantic feelings."

"Oh _please_," said Jess scornfully. "To not be _distracted_ by your feelings you'd have to be a robot."

Becker's jaw visibly tightened but he didn't say anything. Jess ploughed on. "It's not like you're in a relationship with Connor or Matt or Abby and yet you go completely crazy when one of them is in danger," she said. "Just being _friends _with someone creates distractions."

"It's not the same –" Becker started to say, but Jess cut him off.

"What you're actually doing is punishing yourself," she said.

"_What_?"

"You're punishing yourself," Jess repeated firmly. "You have this massive guilt complex that you can't get over – in fact I sometimes think you don't want to get over it."

Becker turned his head to gape at her for a second before turning back to the road, shaking his head.

Jess sighed. "I'm not trying to belittle your feelings, but you need to let them go," she said, her voice softer now. "Bad things happened in the past, things you couldn't prevent, and more things like that will happen – but you can't let that stop you having a future."

Jess looked across at Becker. He was staring straight ahead. As far as Jess could see he wasn't gritting his teeth and he wasn't gaping anymore, but he didn't exactly look happy either.

She sighed again. "Look, I'm only saying all this because I care about you. A lot." Becker looked at her then, and Jess could only meet his eyes for a second before looking down at her lap. "I know you don't feel the same way about me, and that's _fine_, but you can't..."

Her voice trailed off as she looked at her injured hand for the first time since her bedroom. It was bleeding. Badly. There was blood on her jeans and on her car seat.

"Can't what?" Becker asked after a moment of silence.

Jess didn't answer. She looked round at the door and saw blood on the door handle and a little smeared on the window.

"I can't what?" Becker repeated. "Jess?"

Jess' head snapped back round to look at Becker. "My hand's bleeding," she said, her voice shaking a little. Becker's eyes widened but he kept looking straight ahead. "And the blood's on the door, which means it must have been bleeding when we got in the car."

Becker glanced at the door and winced when he saw the blood smeared on the glass. Before he could say anything, their radios crackled to life.

"_Captain Becker? Sir, it's Holland._"

It was one of the soldiers who had been back at the flat. Becker pressed the button to turn on the mic of his earpiece.

"I read you Sergeant – tell me the creature is dead," he said.

"_Wish I could sir – Matt was right, it's fast. We might have clipped it but it got away – and it's on your trail._"

Jess closed her eyes, biting her lip to keep it from trembling. Why didn't she notice her hand was bleeding?

"Roger that." Jess opened her eyes to see Becker turning off his mic again. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Okay. Think."

Jess swallowed. That creature was going to track her until it caught up to her. She was the key – she had to make sure no one else was put in danger. As long as it was after her, they had an advantage over it.

"We need to lead it somewhere where there aren't any people," Jess said to Becker. "So it doesn't hurt anyone else."

Becker glanced at her, and Jess looked up at the rear view mirror, expecting to see the creature behind them at any second. "Matt will be tracking our signal..." Her voice trailed off as she remembered what he'd said to them. "He said you have to get it out in the open."

"He _said_ you had to give it nowhere to hide," Becker said. Jess looked at him – he was frowning. "I have an idea," he said, and he threw a sudden right, taking the turn so quickly that they probably left tyre tracks on the tarmac. He took a couple more turns and Jess realised where they were headed – the docks.

Jess didn't get it, but she didn't say anything. At least the docks were pretty deserted – she really didn't want anyone else to be hurt. She only hoped that if anything happened to her... she only hoped Becker would take what she said today to heart, and not blame himself. And god – she hoped nothing happened to him.

Becker steered the car in between the warehouses, zooming through the looming buildings. They skidded to a halt besides one warehouse – one look at the broken windows told Jess that it was deserted. Becker cut the engine.

"Come on, inside," he said, opening his door and jumping out of the car. Jess hesitated for a moment before pushing her own door open. She took a deep breath before getting out, her legs shaking so much she almost couldn't stand, but Becker was suddenly next to her. He gripped her elbow and pulled her to her feet, and she leant against him briefly.

Becker started to lead her to the door of the warehouse. Jess jumped as he shot the padlock on the wooden door. He kicked it open and pulled her inside. Then he let go to pull the door shut behind them.

Jess looked around – she was right, the place was deserted. Apart from an old wooden table with only three legs, there was nothing in the place – it was just a massive deserted room. The glass from the windows was scattered around the floor, and it was all covered with a layer of dust. Becker placed his hand on Jess' back and gently but quickly propelled her across the room until they were standing right in the middle of the warehouse.

Jess realised why they were here. When the creature caught up to them, there was nowhere for it to hide. If it wanted to get to her, it would have to cross the room, giving Becker a chance to shoot it. Jess gulped – she had faith in Becker, but that thing was just so fast...

"Jess, what you said –" said Becker suddenly.

Jess winced. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at him, "I don't have a right to –"

"No, not that," Becker said. He looked down at her silently for a moment. "You said that I don't feel the same way about you," he said. He glanced back at the door and then back at her. "I need you to know... if I broke the rules for someone, it would be for you."

Jess stared at him, and he stared back. For a moment, she actually thought he might kiss her again.

Then they heard it. A monstrous growl, and it was from right outside the warehouse door. Jess and Becker's heads both snapped round to stare at the door.

Becker stepped in front of Jess and raised his gun. "Stay behind me," he said quietly.

_To be continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, I know I've been quite mean with cliffies in this story, and this chapter is probably the meanest of them all. But the next chapter will most likely be posted in the next few hours, so fear not.

This is very short, and all action.

Anyway... enjoy!

**Chapter Six**

Becker stood in front of Jess, his eyes and gun trained on the warehouse door. Jess was right behind him, so close he could feel her trembling. He hated to think of how scared she was right now, but he knew how she felt – nothing scared him more than that thing getting Jess. But his hands were steady as a rock. He was not going to let it anywhere near her.

The growling intensified for a moment before cutting off suddenly. Becker heard Jess take a sharp breath behind him, and his grip tightened on his gun. "Come on come on," he said under his breath. All he needed was one shot. Just one shot.

With a bang the door flew open and the creature leapt into the room. Becker immediately started firing, but the creature really did have lightning-fast reflexes – it leapt to the side and started running at them. Jess let out a muffled scream as Becker angled to face the creature and started firing again. This time he hit it – the creature stumbled and yelped but kept coming, snarling at Becker.

It was close now, just metres away. Becker fired again, hitting it square in the chest. It stumbled again, falling forward onto its front paws. Becker took a couple of steps towards it, his gun still raised, but just as he squeezed the trigger to finish the creature off for good, it let out an almighty snarl and leapt at them.

Whatever Becker had been expecting it to do, he hadn't expected that. He raised the gun to shoot again but the creature was on him before he could – the gun was knocked out of his hand and Becker was sent flying backwards. He heard Jess scream again as he hit the floor, hard, the creature landing next to him. Becker raised his head – the creature was staggering to its feet; it was clearly injured, but not enough for Becker's liking. He looked for his gun – it was on the other side of the creature.

The creature raised its head and looked at Becker. It snarled.

"Jess," Becker said, not taking his eyes off the creature. "Run. _Now_."

He heard Jess gasp, and then footsteps, but he didn't take his eyes off the creature. As long as he maintained eye contact, the creature would keep its attention on him, and give Jess a chance to escape. If she could get to her car...

The creature growled and started to prowl towards Becker. Becker shifted back on the floor, but there was no way he could get away from it, nothing he could use to defend himself. The creature was between him and his gun – but he didn't care. As long as Jess got away, it was alright.

Then, out of nowhere, he heard Jess let out a cry as if she was in pain. The creature was close enough to Becker now for him to see its pupils contract before it lifted its head. Becker's heart skipped a beat when it turned its head to look at Jess.

Becker took his eyes off the creature for a split second to glance at Jess. She was a few metres away and instead of running like Becker had told her to, she was standing her ground, staring at the creature. The creature sniffed the air and then let out a low, ominous growl, turning to face Jess instead. That's when Becker saw the blood running down Jess' arm, and saw the shard of glass she held in her hand. She'd cut her arm open, and now her blood was _everywhere. _

"JESS!" Becker yelled. He dived to his side as the creature started to move towards her. He snatched up his gun and span round on his knees. The creature leapt and Jess stumbled back – she slipped on the blood and the glass on the floor and fell backwards. The wooden table was right behind her and she hit her head on it on her way down, crying out again. Becker shifted his focus back to the creature and took a shot. He hit it in the back and it fell to the ground in front of Jess. Becker jumped to his feet and shot it again before it could move. He peppered its side with shots, and kept firing until it stopped twitching.

Becker dropped his gun to his side and breathed out, staring at the creature, which was now very, very dead. His shoulders slumped in relief and then he ran over to Jess.

She was lying half under the table – her eyes were closed and she was pale, her clothes covered in blood. Her arm was still bleeding out.

"Shit – Jess – Jess! Can you hear me?" Becker dropped to his knees beside her and pushed her hair back from her face, feeling for a pulse. It was easy to find, and a moment later her eyelids fluttered open.

"Is't dead?" She said quietly.

"Yes it's dead," Becker said. He put his arm around her shoulders and helped her sit up. "Jess you idiot – you complete idiot!" He exclaimed, cupping her cheek with his other hand. She looked at him and he leant forward, crushing her lips with his. "You idiot," he mumbled again in between kisses.

He felt Jess kiss him back for a moment but then she wasn't moving – he pulled back to see that she was slipping into unconsciousness again, and he hugged her to him, reaching into a pocket of his tac vest for a field dressing.

"Stay with me Jess," he said, pressing it to the gash on her arm. "You'll be fine. You'll be fine..."

_To be continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

So, this is the last chapter. Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews and feedback you've given me for this story, I've really appreciated it. Now that this story is over with I can start work on a couple of others I have floating around in my head. One of them is so unoriginal and trope-y that I kind of hate myself for wanting to write it... you'll see what I mean when I post the first chapter, lol!

Anyway... enjoy!

**Chapter Seven**

Jess came round slowly. She kept her eyes closed for a minute after waking up, enjoying the warmth of her bed. Then she realised a few things. One – this bed definitely wasn't hers, it was far too uncomfortable. Two – there were weird sounds around her; beeps and a very loud ticking. And three – her head was _throbbing_.

She winced a little and then opened her eyes. Just a glance at he fluorescent lighting overhead told Jess that she was in the medical wing of the ARC – and with a rush the memories of why she was there came flooding back. The creature, the warehouse, Becker...

"Jess..."

Speaking of whom... Jess turned her head and saw that Becker was sitting in a chair right next to the bed. He'd changed into civilian clothes, and his hair was messy, like he'd been running his hands through it. Her heart flipped over at the sight of him – he was actually sitting by her bed. And, she suddenly remembered, he had kissed her. He had actually kissed her.

Becker gave her a relieved smile. "Hi," he said.

Jess was propped up against about three pillows, and she shifted back a bit to sit up properly. Her head wasn't throbbing anymore, but there was a constant dull ache. "Hi," she said. "Are you alright?"

Becker actually laughed at that. "Me? _I'm_ fine," he said. "How do you feel?"

Jess shrugged. "I have a headache," she said.

Becker quirked an eyebrow at her. "That's not surprising," he said.

Jess had to look away from him after a moment. After everything that had happened between them, she couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. Okay, so he had kissed her in the warehouse, but it had probably just been in the heat of the moment. After all, he had his _rules_.

Jess looked down and saw that she had bandages on her left arm and her right hand.

Becker saw her looking. "Sixteen stitches," he said, nodding at her arm. "Your hand needed four." Jess looked at him and he smirked. "Told you so."

Jess looked back down at her arms, her mouth twisting at the sight of the ugly bandages. "That was stupid," she said.

"Yep," said Becker. He drew out the word and popped the 'p'.

Jess sighed. "I should have cut my right arm, then I wouldn't have to have a bandage on both," she said.

Becker was suddenly glaring at her. "Should have... Jess, what you should have done was _run away_," he said sternly. "It almost killed you!"

Jess gaped at him. "It was about to kill _you_," she said.

"Doesn't matter," Becker said dismissively, his glare deepening. "Next time – _and there'd better not be a next time_ – next time you run away."

Jess glared back at him for a few moments before answering. "Sorry, but no," she said coldly.

"It's my job to protect you, not the other way round," said Becker through gritted teeth.

Jess narrowed her eyes at him. "I disagree."

Becker growled – actually growled. "Jess, you can't just –"

But Jess had had enough. "If you think that I would ever just leave you to die, you don't me at all!" She exclaimed angrily. Becker's eyes widened at her outburst, and Jess looked away, glaring at the wall and silently fuming.

After a few moments, Jess felt Becker's hand cover hers, and she looked back at him in surprise. He wasn't glaring anymore. "I'm sorry," he said after a couple of seconds. Jess' eyebrows shot up, and Becker looked away. "I just... I really don't like seeing you in danger like that."

Jess turned her hand over under his and squeezed his fingers. "Well, now you know how I feel every time there's an anomaly alert," she said.

Becker looked back at her and they stared at each other in silence. They were still holding hands, and after a few moments Jess felt her cheeks start to flush and she looked away. She couldn't handle him staring at her like that – she just didn't know what it meant anymore.

Becker cleared his throat. "So... thanks for saving my life," he said. She looked back and he gave her a small smile. "Again."

Jess smiled back. "Ditto."

And... back to the awkward staring again. Jess looked at him, trying desperately to think of something to say to break the silence.

After about a minute, though, Becker moved suddenly. "Okay," he said, standing up. Jess thought for a moment that he was going to leave, and her heart sank, but instead he sat down on her bed, so he was much closer. Jess swallowed as he put his hands down either side of her legs, and gave her a serious look.

He took a deep breath. "What you said about my... guilt complex, as you called it... you're wrong," he said. Jess closed her eyes briefly – she had really hoped he'd forget all about that conversation. She couldn't believe she had actually said all that to him.

"I don't _like _feeling guilty," Becker said. Jess nodded, and Becker sighed. "But I think you might be right in that I've been... holding onto the guilt," he said. "Probably a bit more than is healthy."

Jess bit her lip. She really didn't know what to say to that.

Becker stared at her for a moment before carrying on. "I still think romantic relationships are a huge distraction," he said. Jess looked away and nodded as he kept talking. "When I started this job... when I realised how important it was, I made the decision not to get involved with anyone. The minute I thought that I might start to have feelings for someone, I made the conscious decision to... not."

Jess looked back, frowning. "How is that even possible?" She asked.

Becker shook his head. "I don't think it is," he said. "I'm starting to realise that it wasn't conscious – I just didn't feel that way about those people..." He paused and looked at her intently. "Not like the way I feel about you."

Jess froze.

"Because you were different," Becker told her. "I figured out pretty quickly that I was... in danger, shall we say... but it made no difference. With you I just didn't have a choice." He smiled sardonically. "Which means that relationship or not – I'm screwed."

Jess' breath caught in her throat. "Are you saying that you're thinking of breaking your rules?" She asked quietly, her heart starting to beat at double speed.

Becker's smile widened. "I'm saying I think I need some new ones," he said.

Jess didn't hesitate – she reached out with both hands, grabbed hold of Becker's shirt collar in her fists, and pulled him towards her. Luckily for her he caught on quickly and his arms came around her back as their lips met. Jess could feel him smiling against her lips, and her heart soared. A girlish part of her was repeating '_he likes me, he really likes me!' _in her head as the kiss deepened, and she pressed closer to him, moving her arms up around his neck. A dull pain shot up her injured arm but she ignored it, thinking of nothing except the feel of Becker's tongue running along her bottom lip – she opened her mouth to him and moaned in the back of her throat.

Jess fell backwards against her pillows again, pulling Becker down with her, and it was bliss for a few seconds, before he was suddenly pulling away.

"Okay rule number one," he said quickly, pushing himself up and sitting back. He was breathing a little heavily, like Jess, who blinked at him. He smiled at her. "No making out in the medical wing."

Jess nodded slowly. "Oh. Okay." She stared at him for a moment. "Can we go somewhere else?"

Becker laughed and leant forward again to kiss her again, but very lightly and he pulled away very quickly, but didn't sit back straight away. He rested his forehead against hers. "You are going to be the _worst _distraction in the world," he said. He smiled at her and then stood up. Jess frowned.

"I'll go find a doctor," he said. "Then maybe you can get out of here."

Becker started walking towards the door, and Jess pushed herself back up. "Becker."

Becker stopped and looked back at her. Jess took a deep breath. "You know that you're brilliant at your job, right?" She said. "And there's nothing I could do to change that."

Becker stared at her. "Jess..." His voice trailed off and he looked at her intently. He gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

He was still staring at her, and Jess smirked. "I could give it a try though," she said cheekily.

Becker grinned. "I'll go find that doctor."

THE END


End file.
